Real time new closures - any insights?

[Artlady]

Just wondering what travelers are finding this week, with regard to camping across the Midwest out to Nevada. Mostly along Route 80?. We don’t know what to expect over the 4th of July weekend, either.

In light of the increasing Covid cases, are campgrounds staying open in general, or are you finding that they are closing again?

If closing, where are people usually boondocking? Off-road vs. parking lots? We’ve never boondocked before, so I’m a bit leary.

 

[steve dunham]

We have been making plans to make a short trip to visit my sister

1)What we have encountered is that sites are available one day and the next day the same sites are closed due to covid while the park remains open
2) The same applies to restrooms / showers , open one day , closed the next
3) Some parks have required that all people camp in self contained camping units because the restrooms are closed and then proceed to shut down the dump station
4) One day potable water is available, the next day the water has been turned off and your supposed to supply your own water .

Makes it hard to plan or go camping

 

[Iowa Dave]

Iowa Status

State and county parks are open and operating in Iowa. However, I was out looking around yesterday and visited a park in the north end of the county. This is a large, all walk in, no reservation park. We saw about a half a dozen people (all women) at different sites, who had come to the park to set up a small tent and pay for the campsite thru this next Sunday. That park will be full by Thursday afternoon for sure. So my advice would be to have reservations spaced out along your travel route. People are camping in large numbers in our area and the holiday now upon us, will maximize attendance. Heat, alcohol, and fireworks along with pent up Covid frustrations ought to just about do it. We have a cabin for the weekend, what am I talking about, we have a cabin all the time. Here’s the website for the website for Pinicon Ridge County park. Referenced above https://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Linn/Park/Pinicon-Ridge-Park.aspx
Iowa Dave

 

[Artlady]

We have been making plans to make a short trip to visit my sister

1)What we have encountered is that sites are available one day and the next day the same sites are closed due to covid while the park remains open
2) The same applies to restrooms / showers , open one day , closed the next
3) Some parks have required that all people camp in self contained camping units because the restrooms are closed and then proceed to shut down the dump station
4) One day potable water is available, the next day the water has been turned off and your supposed to supply your own water .

Makes it hard to plan or go camping

Ok...sounds like we’ll just need many options, and to be flexible. Have you ever had to boondock because of no availability? How did that work out for you?

 

[Artlady]

State and county parks are open and operating in Iowa. However, I was out looking around yesterday and visited a park in the north end of the county. This is a large, all walk in, no reservation park. We saw about a half a dozen people (all women) at different sites, who had come to the park to set up a small tent and pay for the campsite thru this next Sunday. That park will be full by Thursday afternoon for sure. So my advice would be to have reservations spaced out along your travel route. People are camping in large numbers in our area and the holiday now upon us, will maximize attendance. Heat, alcohol, and fireworks along with pent up Covid frustrations ought to just about do it. We have a cabin for the weekend, what am I talking about, we have a cabin all the time. Here’s the website for the website for Pinicon Ridge County park. Referenced above https://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Linn/Park/Pinicon-Ridge-Park.aspx
Iowa Dave

Thanks so much, Dave. We’ll check that out, and be sure to make reservations for the trip home. Hope your trip goes well, too!

Btw, did you ever have to boondock because of no availability? If so, how did that work out for you?

 

[Iowa Dave]

Boondock

Thanks so much, Dave. We’ll check that out, and be sure to make reservations for the trip home. Hope your trip goes well, too!

Btw, did you ever have to boondock because of no availability? If so, how did that work out for you?

I had to stay in a fully serviced campground when a planned boondocking site was too wet to get back into but never got “forced” to boondock. We prefer minimally serviced campgrounds and use them or use boondock sites several times each time we take a two or three week trip.
I never camped till I was about 24 years old. Before then it was going fishing and staying out over night in a tent without a floor or rolled up in a world war lI wool army blanket. Didn’t know that was real camping till years later. I’ve only stayed in a Cabela’s Parking lot once and it was in the plan. Never stayed in a Walmart or any other commercial establishment.

We raised real durable kids who all camp today. On Vacation, About 5 in the evening out in the country as it cools off the animals usually start to come out to feed. I would declare that we’d be getting a Dairy Queen in town after we got set up if there was going to be a town nearby. The first kid to see a deer got their pick off the menu, the other two got a cheap dilly bar. That kept them quiet for a while.
They aren’t competitive now, not much.
The key to boondocking on the road is to have enough fresh water for the night. The key to extended boondocking is to have all the water you can carry with you when you set up. The Escape makes it easy.
Iowa Dave

 

[padlin]

In general when traveling thru a holiday weekend and looking for a last minute CG, not taking the pandemic into account. Commercial CG's are pretty much full, maybe a couple of the bottom of the barrel sites are available. Public CG's are full, period. Many of both have 2 or 3 night minimums.


Walmart's are a last resort that we've had to use on a holiday or 3.



If you are going out I-70, we stayed at a Kansas Rest Area that was setup for overnight stays, pretty close to being a campground, although you still had the highway noise.

 

[steve dunham]

Ok...sounds like we’ll just need many options, and to be flexible. Have you ever had to boondock because of no availability? How did that work out for you?

It happened once on the July 4th weekend in 2012,
We were heading home with the temperatures in the upper nineties and were unable to find any campsite with electricity / water at any private or public campgrounds
After some searching , we ended up spending two nights at a small private campgrounds about 20 miles off the interstate , which had campsites with no electricity but did have clean pit toilets , a hand pump with clean drinking water , a gravity solar shower and very nice owners .
Now when we travel / camp we usually make reservations

** We never overnight at Walmarts , Cracker Barrels , truck stops or wayside rests — just personal choice **

 

[fudge_brownie]

If I do not need shore power my preference along I80 is Cabelas. There are three in Nebraska. The one in Sidney may have power. It does become necessary to be flexible. Ask about overflow spots. Be sure to mention you are one night only. Ask if they have any cancellations.

If you do not need power you should use the Allstays app to find parking. Since we avoid anything public while traveling having a campground is only necessary to run A/C.

 

[cpaharley2008]

This is one of the nice features of having your home behind you, "Home is where you park it" so to speak........:}

 

[Artlady]

Great stories and advice...Dave, the story about you camping with your kids was really sweet. In several ways! Don and I look out for dairy queens whenever we take a road trip. I have a penchant for vanilla cone dipped in cherry topping. The kind that hardens. Yeah, I know. Full of bad stuff for you. But I consider it a treat all the same. Sounds like your kids did too!
Pailin, good advice, too!

Looks like I have to be very flexible, innovative, and as prepared as possible.. Thanks for the app advice as well!

 

[Iowa Dave]

After attending the Pageant at Laura Ingalls Wilder park in DeSmet, South Dakota we stopped for a Dairy Queen. I asked the lady if they had strawberry dilly bars. She said yes, is that what you want? I said no I want a Blizzard, I was just checking to see if you had them. My prospective son in law knew I was nuts from that moment on but still married into the family.
Have a great day everybody.

 

[steve dunham]

During the Summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years I worked at a Dairy Queen
to earn money to pay my high school tuition
Worked from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM - 6 days a week for 25 cents / hour
plus all the DQ you could eat ( No toppings - No nuts.- No hot dogs)
To this day I look back on that time and have fond and not so fond memories

PS: Toward the end I got pretty good getting the DQ swirl on the top of the cones and makings Dilly Bars that were somewhat uniform in size
The following Summer I got a really good job — Cooks assistant / Pot scrubber at an all girls college $1 / hr plus free lunch & supper
Thank God I didn’t have the charm with the ladies like Iowa Dave

 

[MyronL]

Here in New Mexico all state parks are closed until July 4th. Check back with them for any changes after that. Seems all KOA's are opened but that may be on a case to case, site to site basis. Their prime website gives no insights on mandated KOA closings of any kind.

 

[MyronL]

Best (obvious) camping advice? Stay home. It really is getting worse.

 

[gbaglo]

Canada / US border to remain closed until at least August 31.
CBC correction says closed until July 21, at least. However, at a news conference this afternoon Chief Medical Officer suggested it may remain closed until Aug. 31.

 

[davidmurphy02]

Canada / US border to remain closed until at least August 31.

Of what year....

 

[rotorbudd]

Big Bend NP

Just saw it's closed down until further notice.
I don't think anyone would be at Rio Grande but usually the basin would be full.
The article even mentioned the state routes thru the park will be closed.

 

[SamIam-ESC]

A reliable source of information concerning national parks.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org


Sam

 

[steve dunham]

Of what year....

I read tonight on the internet ( So it must be true ) that the Canadian / US border will stay closed until at least the middle of January ,2021 .